Maneki Neko
by bipolarweeb
Summary: Somewhere in the room, he can hear Shigure and Ayame trying to stifle their laughter. "Cat got your tongue, Kyo?"


**This story takes place after the curse is broken. Make sure to drop me a comment!**

"This is so stupid," Kyo grumbles to himself, trying to loosen the black tie that's currently strangling him.

A black suit jacket lays on the couch, and Kyo stares at it with contempt as he resists the urge rip the tie from his neck.

"You won't be saying that when you see her!" Shigure practically sings.

He glares at his cousin. "When did you get the chance to see her during all of this?"

"Oh, I went to sneak a peek while you were getting dressed," Shigure winks. "Aya is doing an amazing job."

"She doesn't need that snake to look good," Kyo mutters, still messing with the tie.

"What did you say, Kyo?" Shigure walks over to him.

"Nothing."

"Mm, of course not," Shigure tuts before swatting Kyo's hands out of the way and fixing the tie himself.

When Shigure finishes, he proceeds to straighten out Kyo's rumpled collar. "You'd think you'd never done this before."

Kyo steps out of Shigure's reach, running his fingers over his collar before crossing his arms. Shigure sends an unapproving glance toward his rolled up sleeves "I haven't done this before, you idiot. You know that."

"Ah, yes. And how lucky you are, to be able to go to a dance with Tohru. How I wish I could've gone to a dance with a beautiful young lady when I was your age."

Kyo furrows his eyebrows at Shigure's dramatic yet somehow genuinely wistful tone.

Of course. The curse. Shigure never would've been able to do something like this while he was a teenager. Getting that close to a girl, dancing and having a good time in such a way, would've spelled disaster for him and the family.

Kyo huffs, not willing to admit Shigure may have a good point. He doesn't need Shigure attempting to teach him some kind of life lesson while he anxiously waits for Tohru to finish getting ready. He doesn't need the extra stress.

"Really, Kyo," Shigure says softly, reaching out to put a familial hand on his shoulder. "You shouldn't complain about going to a dance with Tohru. You have no idea how lucky you are a girl like her loves you."

Kyo shoots his cousin a glare and Shigure drops his hand. "I know I'm lucky. I thank God for her everyday," he looks down and begins rolling down the sleeves of his white button up. "You should know that by now too."

It's not that he doesn't want to go to a dance with Tohru. Any time he gets to spend with her is time he will always cherish. It's more like he wishes he didn't have to wear an uncomfortable monkey suit for the occasion. He doesn't understand why they couldn't show up in sweats and have a grand old time.

But, he sucked it up and put on a suit because she had been so excited when she told him the school was hosting a formal. And of course he was helpless to say no to her, with her big, pleading, brown eyes.

They ended up asking Yuki and Machi if they wanted to join them, and so became the only double date Kyo would ever willingly agree to go on.

"Just as long as you know," Shigure nods at his younger cousin. At the same moment Ayame makes his way into the room, and Kyo immediately tenses.

"Oh Kyo," Ayame begins dramatically, bringing a hand up to shade his face. "I've done it. My magnum opus. I knew the dress I made for her would be beautiful, but dear, I underestimated how beautiful it would be on her. Absolutely stunning."

Normally Ayame's antics would make Kyo roll his eyes, but listening to him now only makes him want to high-tail it out of there.

The thought of seeing Tohru isn't what makes him nervous—okay maybe a little—but he already knows how beautiful she is, and the thought that she is causing such an uproar in his two cousins makes him antsy. He knows he'll feel so unworthy of her... something he reminds himself of every day.

He stands stick straight, anxiously wringing his hands behind his back.

He hears the clack of her shoes before he sees her, and briefly wonders what Ayame was thinking putting her in heels; he prays the shoes he gave her are not too high. The last thing he wants is for her to fall and break something tonight.

When she makes her way through the threshold of the room, Kyo can feel the breath leave his lungs and his heart begin to pound.

Kyo finds out he can't think much else other than _Wow._

Tohru's hair flows down her back, with no ties or bows restraining it. The dress she wears is a smooth, baby pink material that gathers at the waist before flowing out to her knees. The sleeves are made of a delicate lace, covering her shoulders and reaching all the way to her wrists. The v-shape of the neck is modest enough not to be risque, but still dips enough to make Kyo blush, which, he admits, isn't hard to do when it comes to her.

Glancing up at her face he takes in her light amount of make-up, which Ayame did a decidedly great job on. Her eyelids are dusted with a light brown, and are lined with a delicate black wing, both of which make her eyes seem even bigger and all the more mesmerizing. He quickly glances down to her glossy lips, which he finds he can't stare at for too long, knowing all he'll want to do is kiss her.

He's not sure how long he stands just looking at her. He is broken out of his trance when Shigure clears his throat. As he comes back to himself, Kyo finds that his mouth is open, no doubt catching flies, and that his face is incredibly warm. _Idiot_, he thinks to himself, as he looks at her. _Say something._

"Uh," _Great start, dumbass_, "You.. um... uh..."

Somewhere in the room, he can hear Shigure and Ayame trying to stifle their laughter.

"Cat got your tongue, Kyo?" he hears Shigure say, followed by Ayame's chuckle.

This snaps him out of it, as he breaks his neck to turn and glare at his cousins. The comment doesn't help the blush Kyo knows he has on his face, but ultimately he ignores the other two as he walks up to Tohru.

"What do you think?" she asks, swaying back and forth a bit to make the skirt of her dress twirl.

He surprises her by tugging her to him. She lets out a soft oomf as she hits his chest, but doesn't hesitate to wrap her arms around him, as he does to her. He lets out an audible sigh of relief, as even now sometimes he wonders if everything has all been a dream; that the Sohma curse is still in place and he still can't embrace the girl he loves. The thought makes him hold her even tighter.

When he finally lets go, he glances around to see Shigure and Ayame have left the room, and he and Tohru are finally alone.

She blinks up at him, confused. Her eyes ask him if he is alright.

He shakes his head at himself before giving her a soft smile and bringing both of his hands to hold hers.

"You look beautiful," he tells her, and leans down to press a soft kiss to her forehead.

A rosy pink dusts her cheeks as she giggles. "Thank you, Kyo. And you look quite handsome." She brings a hand up to cup his face and lightly strokes his cheek with her thumb. He feels his eyes drift shut as he leans into her palm.

God, if he could pause this moment and live in it forever he would. He could imagine nothing better than staying like this for the rest of the night, but ultimately knows they have somewhere they need to be.

When he opens his eyes he lightly grabs her hand from his face before pressing his lips lightly to the back of her knuckles.

"We need to go meet Yuki and Machi," she tells him softly.

He takes the hand he's already holding and intertwines their fingers. He takes a deep breath before sighing out, "Yeah..."

Tohru giggles, and he swears it's the best sound he's ever heard. "Come on," she says, tugging him by their connected hands. "Before we're late."

Kyo nods, grabbing his suit jacket before letting her lead him out of the house. He can feel himself smiling as he watches her, completely careless as she tugs him down the stairs.

Later, Kyo will realize he was worried earlier for nothing. He'll realize, perhaps for the first time, in that moment, he wasn't thinking about how unworthy he is of Tohru and her kindness and her love.

Kyo will realize, in that moment, all he was able to think about is how he's one lucky bastard.


End file.
